Joyful Noise

The two women rarely see eye-to-eye, and it gets even worse when G.G’s rebellious grandson Randy (Jeremy Jordan) comes to town and sets his romantic sights on Vi’s “good girl” daughter Olivia (Kiki Palmer).

Ultimately, everyone must work together to achieve harmony if they are to have a prayer of winning the prestigious Joyful Noise national church choir competition in Los Angeles. The whole town is counting on them. Can they do it?

If you have a little faith in Hollywood endings, you probably know the answer.

Anyway, I went into the new Footloose with very low expectations, having been extremely disappointed – horrified even- by the 2009 reboot of Fame. But Footloose 2.0 didn’t suck. In fact, it was actually quite okay. It pays homage to the original (with Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer) while giving “today’s kids” a hipper, grittier, sexier take on the same basic story.

The movie features newcomer Kenny Wormald as Ren MacCormack, a sarcastic but soulful big city boy who moves to the small town of Bomont, where he hooks up with the preacher’s rebellious daughter Ariel (Dancing With the Stars pro Julianne Hough) and challenges the town’s ban on dancing in public.

Wormald and Hough are better dancers than they are actors, but they do a serviceable job with a mediocre script.  The movie takes a bit too long to find its rhythm – on and off the dance floor – but it’s fun when it’s grooving and it does end on a nice, albeit campy high note.  Is it as good as the original? Not even close. Would I rather Hollywood find new classics for a new generation rather than mess with another 1980s icon? Absolutely. Do I think that’s gonna happen? Sadly, no. In fact, a new Dirty Dancing is slated for release in 2013. Can Flashdance be far behind? Let’s hope not.

Diehard ‘Gleeks’ – go, have fun, rock out.

Everyone else – skip it.

Glee Live! 3D! will feature highlights from the summer concert tour that 14 members of the Glee cast are slated to perform in during the television show’s hiatus. Expect to hear fan favorites like “I’m a Slave 4 U”, “Raise Your Glass”, “Teenage Dream”, “Hell to the No!” and of course, “Don’t Stop Believin’”.

I saw The Kids from ‘Fame’ live in concert at Jones Beach in New York many, many (many) years ago (with Janet Jackson!). So I’ll claim nostalgia as my rationale for checking out Glee! Live! In Concert! In 3D! – assuming I can find another gleek or two to go along. I’m cautiously optimistic that the movie’s content will be appropriate for gleeks of all ages, unlike the TV show, which has strayed into much more mature themes (good and bad) this year. Hopefully it hasn’t jumped the shark just yet.

Glee Live! 3D! hits movie theaters nationwide for a limited two-week engagement starting August 12, 2011.

The movie basically explains Bieber’s rise to fame – from a cute Canadian boy with a series of amateur videos on YouTube to an international sensation who can sell out Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes. It shows how Justin was raised by a teenage mother (and her parents), “discovered” by a steadfast young record exec, and mentored by R&B star Usher – all the while staying relatively grounded for a 16 year old with millions of obsessive fans. It’s hard not to like the kid and his seemingly well-meaning entourage who seek to protect their protégé – and reward his loyal following – in the midst of a grueling tour.

The structure of the documentary works against the movie to some degree by counting down to a grand performance at the Garden. Ten days can feel really long in celluloid time. But overall, the music keeps you engaged. The movie also features special appearances by the likes of Usher, Boyz II Men, Jaden Smith, and the rage-against-the-Disney-machine that made her a star… Miley Cyrus.  One can only hope that Justin doesn’t follow in her footsteps! Time will tell.

Having now seen Never Say Never (with my target demo tag-along and her gal pals), I finally understand the Bieber effect and the signature hair flip.  The kid’s not the greatest singer in the world, but he is definitely the real package deal, with acting, singing, dancing, drumming, strumming and keyboard chops. It’ll be interesting to see where he is 5,10, 20 years from now. If he stays true to his present course, the kid could definitely go places. I’m rooting for him.

p.s. There’s no reason – as far as I could see- to pay extra for the 3D version. And while I’m not suggesting this movie is for everybody, if you’ve got a Bieber fan in your life, consider going along for the ride. You might just end up with a low-grade Bieber Fever yourself.

Country Strong

It starts out strong enough, with an aspiring singer-songwriter named Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund) makin’ music with country superstar Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow) while she’s in rehab for substance abuse and assorted emotional health issues.

When Kelly’s manager/husband (Tim McGraw) pulls her out of rehab early to embark on a “comeback tour”, Kelly insists that Beau be her opening act. He ends up sharing the stage with a young beauty-queen-turned-singer named Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) who is both a threat and protégé to Kelly. Between concerts, the foursome battles a mess of romantic entanglements, unresolved demons, and conflicting aspirations.

Paltrow, Hedlund and Meester are all super-talented on stage, and the music itself is certainly entertaining for those of us who enjoy belting out a verse or two of “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places”. But the movie as a whole drifts so far into cliché country that you never really buy into these characters and their pain. Moments that were surely meant to be dramatic tended to unleash an uncomfortable burst of laughter instead. It doesn’t help that the story development literally stalls for a good hour in the middle of the movie. Seriously, it’s like, nothing happens. The songs salvage the momentum, but only enough to carry the movie toward its predictable climax. But wait – here’s the kicker. Just when you think it’s over, it’s not. There’s another ending. And another one. And another one. And they’re alternately cheesy, tragic, tacky, unpredictable, and predictable.

The movie will beg comparisons to Jeff Bridges’ Oscar-winning turn in last year’s Crazy Heart. Or maybe even Walk the Line. But really, there’s no comparison. Those movies had a soul that’s missing from Country Strong. And it’s a shame, cause I really do like all the actors involved. Country Strong is ultimately more like the recently-released Burlesque. Good music. Good rental. Good time-killer on an airplane. And most importantly perhaps – it’s definitive proof that Paltrow should do more Glee, where she absolutely rocked it as substitute Holly Holliday!

As the story goes, Rapunzel is a princess stolen from her crib by a nasty old woman who knows that the child’s hair holds magical powers. The evil “Mother Gothel” raises Rapunzel in an isolated tower until one day – around her 18th birthday- a hot young fugitive thief named Flynn Rider stumbles upon the tower. Rapunzel conks him on the head a few times with a frying pan then cons him into being her guide on what’s supposed to be a quick adventure into the outside world. Danger ensues – and of course, so does love.

Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi voice the main characters, and they certainly make a cute animated couple. The songs aren’t particularly memorable but they do help the story along and the movie is well-paced overall at 100 minutes (the threshold for the Disney-audience attention span, and lately, mine as well!). Tangled is on par with last year’s The Princess and the Frog only it’s not quite as dark and scary for the younger set.

Young girls don’t have all that many movies to choose from these days. So Tangled is a definite winner for the gals and hopefully the guys as well. Adults will like it too. Bonus.

Pop superstar Christina Aguilera plays Ali, a small-town girl from Iowa who struggles (for at least a day or two) to hit it big in Hollywood.  She finds the proverbial “home” and “family” at a struggling burlesque club on the Sunset Strip. It’s run by the tough, yet maternal, Tess, played by Cher who looks fabulous if not altogether fake.

Most of the characters are quite cliché, from the Kentucky-bred bartender/artist-wannabe who is Ali’s roommate and potential soul-mate (tasty eye candy played by Cam Gigandet)… to the rich “entrepreneur” who wants to buy out the club and make Ali a star (played totally to type by Eric Dane, a.k.a. Dr. McSteamy)… to Tess’s gay best friend and right-hand man, Sean (played by Stanley Tucci). Is it just me, or does Tucci always play the exact same character? He’s fun to watch, but the role doesn’t seem much of a stretch! Oh, and of course, every ingénue needs a rival. And in this case, it’s Nikki, played by the multi-talented Kristen Bell.

Burlesque is best watched on a really big screen in a theater with really good sound so you can pretend you’re at a show on Broadway or on the Vegas Strip. The movie has that stage vibe, which could help explain the over-abundance of over-acting. There’s really no forgiving the predictable, groan-inducing dialogue, but thankfully, the musical performances drive – and save- Burlesque.  Bell, Cher and Aguilera absolutely shine when taking their turns in the spotlight on center stage. You may not remember the songs later, but you’ll enjoy them in the moment. And that makes Burlesque good escapist fare for the music-minded masses. But if you’re not a fan of the musical genre to begin with, you may want to skip this one.

Cotillard plays the long-suffering wife of Day-Lewis’s character, Italian film director Guido Contini. Shooting is about to start on Guido’s new film, but there’s just one problem, he hasn’t written a word of the script yet. His last two films were flops and he’s creatively and emotionally paralyzed. After facing a room full of skeptical reporters at a press conference, Guido escapes to a spa on the Italian coast. But he’s not alone for long. He has his mistress (Cruz) come to the town – but puts her up in crummy pension by the train station, so no one will catch on. Shortly after that his producer tracks him down and brings along the movie crew. Even an American reporter shows up and then finally his wife arrives. So much for his attempt to escape his problems.

Instead, Guido must face his emotional and creative crisis and he does so through a series of encounters – real and imagined – with the women in his life. These encounters are where most of the musical numbers come in. Most are just okay, fun but nothing that you’ll be singing in the shower the next morning.  The two worth mentioning are Cruz’s burlesque number, which will go down as one of the sexiest ever on film, and Cotillard’s “My Husband Makes Movies,” which is the standout performance of the movie. As for Day-Lewis, he’s a great actor, but as a singer, well, he’s an actor, and unfortunately he’s playing a character that’s not very likeable. In fact, he’s a complete cad.

An unsympathetic hero and so-so musical numbers add up to not much to recommend. If you’re a die-hard musical fan, you might want to go, but even then it’s not a must see. If you’re not a die-hard musical fan, just skip it.

It’s impossible not to watch the movie through a morbidly curious lens… looking for hints about his health and stamina and mortality. But really, there are none. At 50, Jackson not only kept pace – he set the pace for backup dancers more than half his age. And it’s obvious that the dancers, musicians and other members of his creative support team absolutely revered him (especially when he rehearses his way through classics like Thriller, Billie Jean and Man in the Mirror). In fact, their moments of homage and deference provide some welcome flashes of humor and insight during the movie. Soft-spoken as he may have been, Jackson was very clear on what he wanted from every note of every song, every step along the way. As a viewer, it’s kind of cool to be a fly on the wall as that creative process unfolds.

Director-choreographer Kenny Ortega, as well as the film’s editors, did a rather masterful job trimming 120 hours of somewhat serendipitous footage into 111 minutes. The documentary chronicles the concert rehearsals that took place, with Ortega at the helm, from April to June of 2009. My guess is that Ortega is probably the only person who could have pulled off such a tastefully-done documentary on such a quick turn-around. I shudder to think about the biopics on the life and times of Michael Jackson that are sure to come down the cinematic pike in the years ahead.

Fans and foes have an eternity to debate Jackson’s personal quirks and demons and the circumstances of his untimely death. In the meantime, This Is It serves as a worthy tribute to Jackson’s musical legacy.